Degrassi: the Story of Eli and Clare
by BrianaA.C
Summary: Eli never got meds, and is still stuggling. To make it worse, Clare starts to like Jake. Can Eli get the help he needs AND win back the girl? Or will Imogen lead him even farther to the dark side? Sounds Cakey and Elmo at first, BUT IT'S NOT. I promise
1. Love Game

What if Eli was never on his meds? What if Jake wasn't as nice as he seemed? What if Clare put up a bigger fight? How love game should have been. I also don't know EXACTLY how the episode went, but I'll be trying my hardest to keep it as close to the episode as I can. I also cut out the part of Jake and Eli talking, because I had no idea what for them to talk about.

Chapter 1 - Love game

Eli POV

I was playing pool at Above the Dot when I saw Clare and some random guy walk in. They walked straight to Alli and who I thought was KC and Dave.

I watched her smile and laugh, her perfect smile getting bigger while her ice blue eyes lit up. She was wearing a red dress that hugged her curves perfectly and her signature jean jacket that I grew to love. Her blonde-red hair was curled and it stopped right above her shoulders. In other words, she was absolutely gorgeous.

I sighed and turned my focus back to the game. I still have major feelings for her, but I was trying to get over them as fast as I could, even though my heart told me to sweep her off her feet, making her fall in love all over again.

That sounded cheesy.

When I looked back up, I saw her and that guy walking over to me.

"Hey Eli," She said, a smirk on her face.

"Oh, hey," I said, trying my best to sound uninterested as I concentrated on my game of pool.

"This is my friend Jake. We have a _long_ history together," She said, and a white-hot burst of jealously rushed through my body. I tried my best to hold back a glare at the guy or something.

"Cool," I said, turning back to my game. She stood there for a moment, and I saw her from the corner of my eye shift her weight from one foot to the other. After a while, Clare stormed off, Jake trailing behind her.

"Dude, ignore her much?" Adam piped up from across the pool table.

"It's the only way," I said, glancing over my shoulder at her. She was standing at the bar, staring me down. I sighed and turned back to Adam.

"And why is that?" He asked me, setting the stick down. I sat mine down too, and walked over to his side of the table.

"I still like her," I said, keeping his voice down. Adam almost busted out laughing.

"Are you serious?" He tried to say as he laughed. "Everyone knows that! Hell, I bet Clare even knows that!" He motioned his arm to where she was. I turned to look at her again, and she was still staring, Jake no where in sight.

"You need to tell her before she gets involved with that Jake kid," He said.

"I want to move on, though. I just need to avoid her for a while," I said seriously. I truly did want to move on. It's just... my head didn't feel the same way. And that was the strongest part of me.

"Well, you might need to figure out how to move on a lot quicker. Clare at six o'clock." He said, walking away. Before I could turn around, I felt a tap on my shoulder.

"Eli, can we talk?" She asked in a sweet voice. I turned around and gazed into her gorgeous blue eyes, trying not to get sucked into them.

"Maybe later," I said with a slight smile, trying to turn away. I hobbled back over to Adam on my cane, but she stopped me with her voice.

"Did three months mean nothing?" She asked, her voice rising with each word, and I was frozen in my spot.

"Did you flip a switch and erase me from your memory?" She yelled, and I was still turned with my back facing her. 'Please, Clare," I thought. 'Please don't do this.'

"It took you a _**YEAR**_! _**A YEAR**_ to get over your ex! _**DID YOU EVER LOVE ME AT ALL?**_" She screamed. Something inside me snapped, and I whirled around, rage boiling up inside of me.

"I took me a year because Julia _**DIED**_!" I said, walking up to her and yelling in her face. She just stood there.

"It's _**NOT**_ all about _**YOU**_, Clare! _**YOU**_ broke up with _**ME!**_" I continued, pointing a shaking finger at her. She took a step back, but I held her in place by putting my hand around her arm in a death grip, blinded by rage.

"Eli, please... you're hurting me," She whimpered. I just looked down at her.

"Do you know what your problem is?" I asked her, laughing crazily. "You only care about _**YOU!**_" I yelled as I threw her arm out of my hand.

"Hey, man! Lay off!" Jake yelled, walking up behind Clare. He pushed my shoulder, and I fell backwards.

"Eli!" Clare gasped. She fell to the floor after me and put both of her small hands on my shoulders. I shook her off and stood back up. She stood up behind me, so close I could feel her breath on my ear. I tried to keep my concentration, but she was making it very difficult.

"How can you go to THAT, even when he hurts you, Clare?" Jake said to Clare, even though he was looking straight at me.

"I never hurt her," I spit through my teeth.

"Could've fooled me," He scoffed.

"Jake!" Clare scolded him. I lunged at him, but Clare wrapped her arms around my shoulders, holding me back. Even though she did it to save her boyfriend's face, I still got chills. My hands turned into fists, and Clare sensed me getting tense.

"Don't," She whispered behind me, and it calmed me down a bit.

"You're lucky I don't do violence," I hissed at him. Clare brushed her fingertips over my back as a way of thanking me, and a shiver rippled through my body.

"I could beat your ass up, emo boy!" He laughed. Clare gripped the back of my jacket, but I ran at Jake, punching him in the nose. He bent over, holding his face in his hands.

"Eli!" Clare yelled at me. Jake stood back up and punched me back. I spun around and landed on my knees, it was so powerful. While pain radiated through my mouth and jaw, I reached up to touch my mouth to check for blood. When I pulled back, my hand was covered in blood.

"Jake, stop!" Clare yelled, dropping to her knees and putting a hand on the back of my neck and a thumb on my cheek, examining my mouth. I blocked out all my feeling of her and let out a little groan, getting aggravated.

"Get out of here, Clare!" I yelled at her, shaking her off. I spun back around and punched Jake when he didn't expect it, watching him fall to the floor. I got on top of him, throwing punch after punch.

"Eli!" Clare screamed at me. She grabbed my arm, trying to get me off Jake. I got off Jake and shoved her arm away from me. She looked at me as if I slapped her across the face, and at once I realized what I did.

"Clare... I'm so- I mean I didn't mean- oh, Clare," I said urgently, trying to calm her, walking towards her with open arms. She just shook her head and took a step back from me. I felt a pang in my heart as I saw terror in her eye.

I turned my head and looked down at Jake. His nose and mouth was bleeding, but he wiped his nose and smirked through the blood at me. I looked around the room, and everyone was staring at me as if I was a monster.

"I have to go," I breathed out, running towards the door, trying to get out of there and away from Clare as fast as I could.

"Eli! Wait!" Clare yelled when she finally found her voice, but I ignored her, running out of the club as fast as I could.

I looked back, and I saw Clare, walking towards me as she kept calling my name. I ignored her, trying to find the fastest way home.


	2. Love Game Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, Stephen Stohn does. If I did, Eli and Clare would still be going strong, Jake would be with Alli, Imogen would still be her amazing stalker self (just not with Eli), and Riley and Zane would still be together.**

**ANNNNNNNDDDD, I'm only naming the first four chapters after real episodes (Love game 1 & 2, and Dirt Off Your Shoulder 1 & 2). Everything else would be a COMPLETELY different storyline. And thats why it's called FANfiction :)**

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><p>Chapter 2 - Love Game Part 2<p>

Clare POV

I had no idea why I was doing this. Why I was following him home, even when he hurt me and Jake. Why I still cared for him, even when I'm starting to fall for someone else. Why I felt the need to protect him. Everything led back to Eli Goldsworthy.

I took my jacket off, giving it to Alli before I ran off so I wouldn't have to carry it all the way to Eli's. I totally regretted this, because it was still freezing outside, even though it was late in April. I kept calling out to him to get him to stop, but he kept running, never stopping to catch his breath. I wouldn't run after him, because I knew he needed that time to calm down and gather his emotions.

Before I knew it, I was in front of his house. I took a deep breath and walked up to the door. I hesitantly knocked twice, not exactly knowing what to expect. After my first knock, I started to hear things being thrown around inside and a lot of things breaking. I kept knocking, desperately trying to talk to him.

"Eli, please! OPEN UP!"

It took a couple minutes and a lot more knocking, but he just barley opened the door wide enough so I could see him, and I pulled him into a hug, overjoyed he was okay. He just stood there and hugged me back awkwardly after hesitating a couple of seconds, as if the gesture was new to him. When I pulled away, I gasped.

His hair looked messy, matted to his sweaty forehead and neck. He didn't have a shirt on, but he did keep his signature necklace on, and his surprisingly strong chest shined with sweat. He didn't seem like the type to have muscle, but he did, and a lot of it. His face was pale and under his eyes was a faint black, as if he was tired, but his bangs covered most of his usually piercing green eyes. He didn't have his cane, but he was resting most of his weight on his good leg.

"What?" He asked, looking down at me with eyes stone cold, filled with no emotion.

"I-I wanted to make sure you were okay," I said, trying to find the right words, shifting my weight from one foot to the other.

"Why? I was the one who hurt you, Clare." He said, glancing at my arm for a split second. I followed his gaze, and around my bicep were four faint blue lines. He reached out slowly and put his fingers on the lines, matching up perfectly. Right when he touched me, my mind raced back to when he grabbed my arm tightly at Above the Dot. I brushed off the terrified feeling, and he dropped his arm to his side, shoving his hands into the front pockets of his baggy black jeans.

"Eli, don't worry about it. I'm worried about _you_," I said, trying to peer over his shoulder to look at the damage he did inside. He stood up a bit taller and closed the door a bit more, blocking any chance of a view I had.

"Well I'm fine." He said quickly, trying to close the door on me. I put my foot in the doorway, keeping it from closing. He looked up with question in his eyes.

"Can I come in? To talk?" I asked him, brushing his hair out of his eyes, and he closed his eyes at my touch. He walked out and closed the door behind him, signaling we were going to talk outside. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out towards the street. I let a shiver ripple through my body, and noticed he shivered, too. I looked around outside, and saw a large, dark object in the driveway.

"No way. Eli, you fixed Morty?" I asked in disbelief, running over to the car. I put both hands on the windshield and peered in, making sure this was real. Even though I never really liked the car, I was glad he wasn't dead for sure. Eli sighed and followed over to where I was.

"Yeah. It took a lot of work over break, but I fixed him. Cost a lot, too," He said, scratching the back of his neck. I shivered again, and goosebumps rose all over skin. I crossed my arms, trying to warm myself up, but I had no such luck.

"Cold?" He asked me, looking at me without a jacket on. Even though it was April, it was still very cold and snowing off and on. I nodded quickly.

"Question is, are you?" I asked him, staring at his bare chest. He smiled slightly, but let it fall from his face after only a couple of seconds, as if he forgot he was moping.

"I'll get you one of my jackets," He said, turning around and walking towards the house. "Stay here," He called over his shoulder. When the front door closed, I instantly started walking towards the house, curious to what he did inside.

"Curiosity killed the cat, so why am I doing this?" I whispered to myself, slowly opening the door. I walked to the living room and gasped.

Everything in the living room was trashed. The curtains from the window were knocked down, glass vases we shattered on the coffee table and all over the floor, the pictures were ripped off the walls, and the couch pillows were strewn all over the room. In the corner by the stairs, his cane was broken in half and the skull on the top was missing. The house looked like a tornado, a hurricane, and an earthquake all took place at the same time in the middle of the Goldsworthy's living room.

"What are you doing in here?" Eli asked me sharply, running down the stairs. He had a Dead Hand shirt on and a black hoodie in his hand.

"I thought- I mean I didn't- Eli, what did you do in here?" I spit out, looking around the trashed room with wide eyes.

"Why do you think I didn't want you in here?" He yelled, tossing the jacket at me as he walked towards me, and I quickly put it on, afraid of what he would do if I didn't. I'm _**CRAZY**_, Clare!" He yelled in my face.

"You aren't crazy," I said firmly, standing my ground. He was acting as if he was to scare me off. As if he _**wanted **_to.

"Yes, I _**AM!**_ I can't do _**ANYTHING**_ right!" He yelled, knocking a vase off of a table near the stairs, shattering it on the ground. My heart jumped and my stomach dropped as I let out a tiny yelp, but I stayed perfectly still while he paced back and forth, glancing at me every couple of steps.

"Eli," I said calmly, grabbing his wrist and pulling him to me. I put my hands around his neck with my thumbs on my cheek and put my face close to his. "Eli, you are not crazy."

"It's hell being me, Clare," He whispered, his voice breaking as if he was going to cry. His eyes didn't leave the floor.

"I doubt that," I said, rubbing his cheeks with my thumbs.

"Yes, it is. I can't do anything right, I'm completely different from everyone else, people think I'm totally physco for wrecking my most cherished possession, and," He paused, finally moving his eyes from the floor to my face, looking sadly into mine "The girl I love with all my heart doesn't love me anymore."

I was completely taken aback. Did I still love him? I didn't know. Jake is nice and happy and upbeat, when Eli is mysterious, intense and mature. They were total opposites, and I still have unresolved feelings for Eli when I have growing feelings for Jake.

"Oh, Eli," I whispered, brushing a tear from under his eyes. He looked away and clenched his already strong jaw, trying to hold back the rest of his tears, even though I had to keep wiping them away.

"I need you, Clare," He said, finally breaking down and collapsing into me. He sobbed into my neck as I rubbed his back hesitantly, not sure of what to do. "I need you, and I don't know what to do without you."

I guided us to the couch and sat us both down, and I turned to him, pulling him into a hug. He rested his head on my chest and snaked his arms around my waist, holding me as tight as he could, while my arms were fastened around his neck, playing with his hair, trying to calm the broken boy, the boy whom I broke, down.

"I'll always be here for you. You know that," I whispered in his ear, trying to ease the pain of our breakup just a smidge. "I'll help you through whatever you need."

"But you won't be there for what I want," He said, sitting up and looking in my eyes, but his strong arms were still wrapped around my waist, and mine were still playing with his hair at the nape of his neck. He glanced to my lips and back to my eyes, and at once I knew what he wanted.

"Eli..." I trailed off when I saw his lips moving closer and closer to mine. My heart stopped. Did I want this right now? Was this the right thing for HIM right now?

"Please, Clare," He said, barley a whisper, his lips inches from mine, maybe less. "Please."

Right when his lips were barley touching mine, I pulled away. No one could even fathom how much I wanted to kiss him in this moment, but I couldn't do it. After I faced the Eli right before the dance before break, I knew we both needed time apart. And this isn't what I would call 'time apart'.

"Eli, I can't. We can't," I whispered, staring into his eyes. All I saw was rejection and hurt. He lowered his eyes as he loosened his arms around my waist.

"Clare..." He trailed off, sitting back on the couch, no longer touching me at all. We sat in silence for many painful minutes.

"I should go," I blurted, standing up. Eli stood up slowly next to me.

"Want a ride?" He asked quietly, still not meeting my eyes.

"No, it's okay. I'll call Ja- I'll call my mom," I said, quickly correcting myself. Once I said Jake's name, I immediantly saw Eli's heart breaking in his eyes.

"Okay," He said, his voice so quiet I could barley hear him. I tried to smile at him, but failed.

"Okay. See you tomorrow, Eli," I said, my voice breaking. I left the house as fast as I could, not stopping until I reached the curb. I whipped out my cell phone and called Jake.

"What's up?" I heard the friendly voice ask on the other end. I breathed out a sigh of relief, hearing something other than Eli's broken-hearted voice.

"It's Clare. Can you come get me? I'm at Eli's," I said quickly. I turned around to look at the house, and I saw Eli's bedroom light on. My heart jumped, but I quickly shut the feeling out.

"Uh, sure. I'll be there soon. He lives down the street from the Dot, right?" Jake asked, and on the other line I heard a car door open and shut, and then the engine turning on.

"Yeah. Thanks, Jake," I said.

"Mmhm," He said before hanging up.

After about five minutes waiting outside, I saw Jake's truck pull up in front of Eli's house. I quickly got inside and buckled my seatbelt.

"So why were you here in the first place?" Jake asked as he started to drive back to my house. I sighed.

"I was trying to calm Eli down after... everything... that happened tonight. He seemed shooken up about it pretty badly," I said, glancing at Jake. His nose was purple, and his lips were swollen. I looked away as I winced, almost feeling _his _pain.

"Got it," He said curtly. The rest of the drive, we rode in silence.

"Here we are," He said, his car coming to a stop in front of my house.

"Thanks, Jake," I said, smiling at him. He tried to smile back, but winced. "I'll see you tomorrow," I said as I started to get out of his truck.

"Clare?" He asked. I turned around to face him, and right when I did so, he planted his lips softly on mine. Even though it wasn't nearly as close to kissing Eli, there were sparks.

"See you at school," He said with a lopsided grin, and I thought of Eli. I quickly erased him from my memory, feeling guilty that I was thinking of my ex when I should have been thinking of Jake.

"Bye," I said with a smile as I got out of his car. He smiled one last time before he drove off.

By the looks of today's events, I wasn't going to get any sleep.

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><p><strong>Like it? Hate it? Review! :)<strong>

**Next Up: Some Cakeness, some throwing of computers, and we meet Imogen. :)**


	3. Dirt Off Your Shoulder

**I just really felt like uploading this chapter, so yaaay for earliness!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, Stephen Stohn does. If I did, Eli would still be on his meds, Jake would just go to Kenya already, Anya wouldn't be doing drugs, and Imogen would stay her boss self.**

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><p>Chapter 3 - Dirt Off Your Shoulder<p>

Clare POV

Even though my alarm went off at 7:30 A.M., signaling I need to get up for school, I was already up. I maybe got thirty minutes of sleep at the most. All I could think about was my kiss with Jake.

I rolled myself out of my bed and started to get ready for school, even though I felt like I was going to pass out for not getting nearly as much sleep as I needed last night.

Thirty minutes later, I found myself walking to school with Alli. I usually rode my bike to school, but Eli always walked past the bike racks, so I decided to go the other way with Alli.

"So, what did you and Eli talk about last night? By the looks of you, it wasn't that good," She said with an eye roll. I looked down at myself when she said that last part, and saw what she meant. I was wearing my usual uniform, purple polo and khaki slacks, with Eli's hoodie he gave me. My usual curly hair was just wavy, and I had no make up on.

"Just... stuff," I said, keeping my tired eyes trained ahead of me.

"Stuff?" She scoffed. "Tell me what really happened."

"We almost kissed," I admitted, thankful the school was in sight. The sooner I could get away from Alli drilling me about what happened with Eli and I, the better. I wanted nothing more than to sit down and work on the Degrassi Daily at this point.

"Wow, Saint Clare can't keep her hands off an ex, now can she?" She laughed. It was my turn to roll my eyes.

"Me and Jake kissed, though." I added, and I couldn't help but smile when I thought of Jake.

"Nu-uh!" Alli squealed. "He's so cute!"

"Yes-huh," I said with a laugh. We were walking up the school steps when I spotted the hearse park in a parking space near us. I saw him get out of his car, and he looked stressed beyond belief. His hair was unkept, he had dark circles under his eyes and he was wearing just his uniform, his ring and his necklace, no jacket or undershirt or anything, even in this weather. His foot was still in the boot, and he winced every time he walked without his cane he broke. He looked just as bad as me, maybe even worse.

"Speak of the devil," Alli said, pointing to Eli. He was walking to the school with his head down, eyes never leaving the pavement.

"Do you think he's okay?" I asked Alli, keeping my voice low so he wouldn't hear us. He was about twenty feet behind me, and I didn't want him to know we were talking about him.

"Time for you to find out," Alli said. Before I could ask what she meant, she turned around. "Eli!" She yelled just loud enough for him to hear. He looked up and eyed her with curiosity. When he saw me, he lowered his eyes back down towards the ground and made his way over to us slowly. I shot Alli a death glare, but she smiled widely at me and ran off.

"What," He said with no emotion, looking at anything but my eyes.

"I want to apologize for last night. I led you on, and I'm sorry for that," I said softly, putting my hand on his arm. His skin was freezing cold, and he shivered under my touch before he pulled his arm back.

"It's fine," He said, still not looking at me. It took everything in me to prevent myself to not grab his face and make him look at me.

"Maybe after school ends, we can start back up again," I said with a slight smile. For the first time today, he finally looked up at me with his usually bright and beautiful green eyes.

"You mean we can get back together?" He asked eagerly, smiling at me with hope. My breath caught. That's not what I was leading on.

"Well, I-I don't really know-" I started to say, until Jake walked up next to me.

"Hey, Clare," He said with a slight smile, kissing me on the cheek lightly. My blood turned cold, and when Jake pulled back, I looked at Eli. He looked from me to Jake, shooting daggers at Jake.

"Eli," Jake said, looking down at him.

"Jake," Eli said with the same snappiness that Jake used. Jake scoffed and put his arm around me. "Are you two dating?" Eli asked, swallowing hard. Jake scoffed a second time.

"Maybe. What's it to you?" Jake shot back. Eli stepped forward, and I manuvered out from under Jake's to step in between the two boys.

"_Maybe _we should just go to class?" I offered, smiling at both of them. Jake smiled back at me as best he could with a busted lip and a bruised nose, but Eli just kept staring at Jake.

"Fine with me," Jake said with a smirk, tucking me under his arm again. He guided me into the school as fast as he could to get me away from Eli. I looked back, and Eli was staring at the back of Jake's back, willing him to catch on fire or something.

Today is going to be a _very _long day.

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><p>Eli POV<p>

It was during theater class when I was in the computer lab, trying to brainstorm a new idea for the play when I turned to look at the window and saw Jake and Clare, flirting and laughing with each other.

"Come on. Just keep it together," I whispered to myself, taking deep breaths. I started to type down ideas for the play, but my rage kicked in. I stood up and pushed my chair back with enough force for it to hit the wall on the other side of the classroom. I grabbed the computer off of the table, raised it over my head, and threw it onto the ground, watching it spark and smoke. Right after it happened, I regretted it. How was I going to explain this to Ms. Oh? Say something like, _'Oh yeah, my ex who I still love was flirting with the new kid who I hate, and I got mad, so I smashed a computer'?_ Obviously not.

A girl with a red polo, crazy, dark brown hair and light brown eyes wearing Buddy Holly glasses ran into the room and stood in front of me. She looked out the window, and looked back to me.

"Ms. Oh's coming!" She said, as if she was breathless. I looked out the window, and sure enough, Ms. Oh was walking to this very room. I let out a tiny gasp, hating myself right now. "Hide the evidence!"

"How?" I yelled at the girl.

"Uh, I got it!" She yelled back. The girl turned her back on me and started running. All of a sudden, she jumped into the air and landed face first onto the floor. Before I could say anything, Ms. Oh walked in.

"What happened?" She asked, kneeling in front of the girl to see if she was okay. The girl sat up slightly, but was still on the floor.

"What do you think happened? I tripped over a loose cord, this place is a death trap!" The girl said, dabbing her bleeding nose with her hand.

"Are you alright?" Ms. Oh asked her. The girl nodded. "Do you need to go to the nurse?" Ms. Oh continued. The girl shook her head, holding her jacket sleeve to her bleeding nose.

"No, but can Eli Goldsworthy walk me to my locker?" The girl asked, using my full name. I didn't even know that she knew my first name. Ms. Oh just nodded, getting up off the floor and helping the girl up, also. She started to walk out of the room, and I decided to follow her.

"Who are you?" I asked her once we were out of the classroom and walking down the hall.

"I'm Imogen Moreno. I've been going to Degrassi for a couple of years, but I've always been laying low," The girl said, stopping at the bathroom. She walked in and came out seconds later, holding paper towels to her nose. We continued walking until we got to my locker. She opened the one next to mine.

"Your locker is next to mine?" I asked suspiciously. She just nodded. "That's impossible. My last name starts with a 'G', and yours starts with an 'M'. We go alphabetically."

"I know. Someone switched with me so they could be closer to their math class or something," She said, taking off her bloody jacket and putting it in her locker. "Do you have an extra jacket? It's cold, and I don't want to wear a bloody jacket."

I was about to say yes, but I then realized that Clare had that jacket I always kept with me. Even worse, she decided to wear my jacket to school today, even though she was probably dating that Jake kid.

"I usually do, but my ex-girlfriend has it," I said bitterly.

"Ah, Clare Edwards?" Imogen asked, closing her locker and putting the lock back on it. Something in my head went off as Imogen mentioned Clare's name.

"Do you know her?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at her as we started to walk to our next classes.

"Um, yeah. We're, uh, we're really close," She said, stuttering. I smirked, knowing she was lying.

"Can we sit down? My nose is making me dizzy," Imogen said, already pulling me down onto a nearby bench, before I had the chance to tell her noses don't make people dizzy.

"So, you're in theater?" She asked, scooting a bit closer to me.

"Yeah. You're in my class, right?" I asked her, tilting my head. She looked awfully familiar, but I can't remember from where.

"Yes. Have you came up with a play idea yet?" She asked me. This 'Imogen' sure asks a lot of questions...

"No. Ever since Clare and I broke up, I've been having terrible writer's block."

"Maybe Clare is the reason. Write a play about her, you know, to get over her," Imogen said simply, shrugging a shoulder. A lightbulb in my head went off.

"That's genius!" I said, grabbing her arm and squeezing it lightly. She smiled widely at me, and then I heard someone clear their voice in front of us. I looked up to see Clare looking down at me and Imogen.

"Clare, this is Imogen." I said, staring her down. She stared back with narrowed eyes.

"Hello, Clare Edwards," Imogen said slowly, as if Clare was a bitch or something.

"Hey," Clare spat, her eyes never leaving mine. We stared each other down before Imogen stood up, brushing off the back of her pants.

"I should get going," She said awkwardly.

"I'll go with you," I said, smirking at Clare. Her eyes narrowed at me even further. I stood up and started walking down the hall with her, leaving Clare behind.

"See you around, Clare," I called over my shoulder. Clare huffed out a breath, turned on her heel, and started to walk away as fast as she could. Imogen laughed beside me.

"Trying to make her jealous?" Imogen asked me, smiling. I smirked at her.

_'You have no idea,' _I thought.

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><p><strong>It's slightly longer! Yay!<strong>

**Coming up: Let the brainwashing begin :)**


	4. Dirt Off Your Shoulder Part 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, Stephen Stohn does. If I did, Clare wouldn't be doing this 'friends with benefits' thing with Jake, Holly J wouldn't be sick anymore, Chantay would just graduate already, and Imogen would go stalk someone else.**

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><p>Chapter 4 - Dirt Off Your Shoulder Part 2<p>

Clare POV

"So he just walked off with her?" Adam asked me about that Imogen girl. Right when I found him after the Degrassi Daily meeting, I told him everything from beginning to end about what happened with Eli and I eariler today.

"Yep. It's like he's trying to make me jealous or something stupid like that," I said, walking to my locker. Adam followed.

"Is it working?" He asked with a slight smile. I didn't answer. Instead, I focused on opening my lock.

"To make it worse, Katie wants me to interview him about the play. She said I'll be spending a lot of time with him, and we're practially fighting," I explained, putting my binder in my locker and pulling out a notebook and a pen.

"Maybe that's a chance to make up?" He suggested, fixing the strap of his backpack on his shoulder. I just sighed and started to walk to my last class, Adam trailing behind me.

"Or a chance to kill each other," I said jokingly, turning around to look at him. When I turned back around, I ran into something. Or someone.

"Woah, sorry," I heard the guy say, and my blood instantly ran cold.

"Sorry, Eli," I said, looking up at him. When he realized it was me, his eyes clouded over, and he clenched his jaw.

"It's fine," He mumbled before he started walking off.

"Hello, Clare?" Adam whisper-shouted at me. I looked at him curiously, and he made a big show of flapping his arms around, as if he was showing how urgent what he needed to say was. "_Ask him about the interview!"_

"Right!" I said to him. "Eli!" I yelled down the hall. Sure enough, Eli stopped in the hallway. He didn't turn around, he just stood there. I rolled my eyes at Adam before I jogged up to Eli to talk to him.

"I'm on the paper," I started, seaching his face for any signs of emotion. When he still wouldn't look at me and when he didn't say anything, I continued. "I need to cover the play, and in order to do so-" I started saying.

"You need to interview the play writer," He finished, finally looking at me.

"Exactly. So can I interview you tomorrow morning, at our- I mean, at the picnic table outside?" I asked, quickly correcting myself. He smirked at me slightly when I said _our _picnic table.

"I'll give you a killer article," He said before shoving his hands in his pockets before walking off. I turned around and smiled at Adam, and he rolled his eyes.

"Just because you two interacted without staring each other down doesn't mean everything is peachy keen. You _did _make out with the guy he hates," Adam said, walking into out civics class.

"I did not! Who told you that?" I asked him, sitting in the desk next to him.

"Eli?" Adam said his name like a question.

"Why would he say that?" I asked, looking out the open door of the classroom. Just my luck, the classroom was right across from his locker. I saw that Imogen girl open the locker next to Eli's and take out a binder or something. Eli walked up to his locker, but right when he got to the entry of the classroom, he looked in and saw me. My cheeks flamed at getting caught staring, but I couldn't look away.

Eli leaned in and whispered something in Imogen's ear. After a couple of seconds, she put her hand on his chest and pushed him away from her in a flirty way with a smile. Eli smiled with her, and a bolt of jealously rocked through my body. Eli looked back at me with a smirk as Imogen grabbed his hand and pulled him towards their next class. Eli happily followed.

"That girl is rubbing me the wrong way," I said bitterly to Adam as our civics teacher started the lesson. Adam just laughed.

"Who, Imogen?" He asked, and I nodded. "She _is _very weird. Eli said when he smashed a computer, she ran in and body slammed the floor, giving herself a bloody nose so she coul cover for him.

"Wait, Eli smashed a computer?" I asked. Adam just nodded. "Was it because of me?" Again, he nodded.

"Yeah, he also said she knew your full name," Adam said, lowering his voice so he wouldn't get caught talking by our teacher.

"I never even seen the girl before today!" I said, whisper-yelling. Adam just chuckled.

"Looks like Eli has a _great _catch," He said sarcastically, laughing again. I turned my head to the front and stared at the board aimlessly, willing this boring class to go by faster.

* * *

><p>Eli POV<p>

When the bell rang, I bolted out of my desk in math, quickly getting out of the classroom. The quicker I could get home, the sooner I could write the play that was supposed to already be written.

"Eli Goldsworthy!" Imogen called out from the other side of the room, making me stop. She walked over to me and smiled slightly. "Do you want to do something later? Maybe go to the Dot?"

"Can't," I said simply, shrugging a shoulder. "I have the play for theater to write, and it was supposed to already be written two days ago. Fiona says she needs it by tomorrow."

"I can maybe help you. I'm good at brainstorming," She said, smiling hugely. I couldn't help but smile back. Not that she wasn't pretty or anything, but she reminded me more of a little girl playing dress up, not a seventeen year old girl.

"Fine," I said finally. "But if we don't get any work done, I'm going home. I drove my car here, so are you fine with riding in a hearse?" I asked her, and she just let out a laugh.

"Of course. So I'm guessing you fixed it after you crashed it into a wall for you ex?" She asked me as she started to walk out of the classroom. I stood there for a second, shocked that she knew that, but then ran after her.

"How do you know that?" I asked her as we pushed the doors of the school open, walking towards my car.

"Oh, everyone was talking about it," She said, trying to brush the subject off. We got in Morty, and I put the keys in the ignition, starting the car. I pulled out of the school parking lot, and we drove all the way to the Dot in silence.

I parked it right out front, and we got out, walking into the Dot.

"So, any ideas yet?" Imogen asked me, picking up a menu from the table. I pulled out my laptop from my backpack and opened up the notepad. I typed my name at the top, and then Fiona's under mine.

"No." I said simply, staring at the blank screen. She layed the menu back down on the table and sighed.

"How about a play with two lovers, but the girl thinks the guy is suffocating her, so she breaks up with him?" Imogen suggested with a creepy, knowing smile.

"That sounds too... realistic." I said, choosing my words carefully. "We have to change it up a bit if we want people to not immediately assume it was about me and Clare."

"Then what do you have in mind?" Imogen said, her voice raising slightly.

"I don't know!" I snapped at her, and she looked a little shocked. "Sorry. It's just... I _want _to be over her. She's making everything for me harder than it really is, and I'm tired of it."

"I know how to fix that," She said, smiling. "Pack up your stuff, you're coming with me."

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later, I was sitting on a bench outside a thrift store. The door to the store opened, and Imogen walked out, wearing a colorful skirt, a plain blue shirt, and a blue jean jacket. She was wearing blue tights, and her hair was curled. She resembled Clare, right down to the cross necklace.<p>

"This is so stupid," I mumbled, shaking my head while I looked up at her.

"Just pretend I'm clare," she said, looking at me with a slight smile.

"You can't be serious!" I said, looking at her like she was crazy. She just rolled her eyes.

"Come _on, _you have so much to get off your chest," She said, taking off her Buddy Holly glasses. "You and Clare's relationship was an emotional roller coaster, and you're letting her get away with it scott-free? What have you got to lose?"

"Okay! If we do this, can you let it go?" I asked her, standing up. She smiled, and closed her eyes. After a while, she opened them again.

"I'm Clare Edwards. I am so smart," She started off sarcastically. "No one will ever understand you like I do, Eli."

"Okay, that's enough." I told her, trying to keep my cool. 'Clare' was already making me mad.

"I never really loved you," She continued, pressing on. "I was only playing you because I knew you would let me get away with it, and look! I was right!" I suddenly lost it.

"I did _**everything**_ to make you happy!" I yelled at 'Clare'. Imogen just smiled. "I'm still in love with you. And I _hate _myself for it."

"And I hate _you, _Eli. I always have." She said, false sympathy in her eyes. The rage inside me went away, and sadness started to set it.

"Don't say that. You don't... you don't mean it." I said, looking away.

"I do," She insisted. "I never loved you. You're a loser," She scoffed. Anger started to find it's way back to me.

"And _you _are a manipulative **_witch_**. You used me, and then you tossed me away!" I said, laughing slightly at the insanity. "I hate you. I hate you. I _**hate** _you!" I said, getting in her face. All of a sudden, Imogen put her glasses back on, smiling.

"Excellent!" She said, laughing. "Now go use that emotion and write yourself a play!" She said, grabbing my hand. I just looked at her.

"Does she really not love me?" I asked quietly. Imogen's face fell, and she put her hand on my arm, rubbing it for a while before dropping it back to her side.

"She never did, Eli." She said camly.

"I hate her, Imo. I hate her," I said, a tear falling from my eyes, due to my emotions building up for so long were finally running wild.

"It's okay, Eli. I'll help you through all this." She said, resting a hand on my shoulder. "I'll even be there for you interview with Clare if you want me to." Something in my head went off.

"How do you know about the interview? I didn't tell you," I said suspiciously, eyeing her. She looked around, her eyes darting.

"I, uh, it's common knowledge. Every play writer gets interviewed," She said, laughing nervously.

"Have you been stalking me?" I asked her. Her eyes flew to me, looking nervous.

"No?" She said it more like a question.

"You need to back off!" I said, backing away from her. She just held my gaze.

"Don't let the crazy get to you, Eli. That's what Clare wants," She said slowly to me. I slowly shook the feeling off, and I walked towards her.

"Well, I have a play to write. Do you want me to take you home?" I asked, changing the subject to anything but my evil ex. Imogen quickly shook her head.

"No, I like to walk. I'll see you tomorrow at the interview, Eli!" She said before skipping off.

"Yeah, guess you will," I said just loud enough for her to hear. I walked back to Morty and put my backpack with my laptop in the back. I walked around to get in the driver's seat as I started the car, smirking to myself.

I'll write Clare a killer play. And it'll emphasize who she _really _is.

* * *

><p><strong>Next up: Eli goes off on Clare, lines are drawn, and Imogen and Clare face off for the first time. :)<strong>


	5. Eight Miles High

**I was originally going to call this chapter Dirt Off Your Shoulder Part 3 because it has some elements in Dirt Off Your Shoulder, but also has a lot of made up stuff, so I didn't want to veer too far away from the original storyline.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, Stephen Stohn does. If I did, Riley and Zane would be together, JT would have never died, Fiona would still be in NYC, and Imogen would be awesome. Like she is now.**

**Oh! And I feel like I'm kinda dulling Eli down a bit in this story, especially since he has no meds in this one, so I'm going to try and make him a little more out of control. I also want Imogen to be an even worse influence on Eli, so it'll be harder to pull him back to the 'good' side. So yeah, I'm kinda going to mix in Anya's storyline and Eli's storyline. Hopefully it'll be good!**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5 - Eight Miles High<p>

Eli POV

"How do I talk to her? How do I even look at her? I can't do this. I can't do this interview!" I ranted at Imogen. We were sitting on the hood of Morty in the Degrassi parking lot, the space farthest from the picnic tables, just in case Clare was already there to do the interview.

"She's just an ex," Imogen said, rolling her eyes. I took her to school today early so we could prep for the interview to make the play seem as good as possible, but getting here early just made me feel even more nervous. "And I'll be right next to you, remember? We're doing this together."

"She's not just an ex!" I said, looking at Imogen. She had her hair in her crazy pigtails, and, as always, she was playing up her uniform. "She's an ex that I hate and love, all at the same time."

"You still hate her, right?" Imogen asked me, narrowing her eyes. She sounded like she was trying to make sure I didn't change my mind on her or something, but I nodded slowly.

"What am I going to do? I can't concentrate!" I said, putting my head in my hands. Imogen softly touched my shoulder, but I jumped, and she dropped her hand from my shoulder.

"Why are you so jumpy?" Imogen asked, rolling her eyes at me.

"Sorry... Do you have anything to make me feel better?" I asked her, and her eyes widened.

"Like..." She trailed off, wondering what I was talking about.

"I don't know, pain-killers, anti-axiety meds, _something _that will make this feeling go away!" I said, looking through her thick, Buddy Holly glasses and into her light brown eyes. She smiled.

"How about this?" She asked, reaching into her purse. She pulled out a little, clear bag that looked like it was filled with white powder. It looked familiar, and I instantly knew what it was.

"Crack?" I asked her, raising my eyebrows. She nodded. "But this is _school_! How do you not get caught?"

"Because I don't use it _during _school. And I never get searched." She said, handing the bag to me. I hesitantly took it from her and eyed it warily. I wasn't one against drugs, but I also wasn't for them. I just honestly didn't care. When she was alive, Julia would snort crack to make her feel more happy or something every once and a while, but I never used it.

In the back of my mind, I was thinking about Clare, and how she would be totally against this. I knew I was going againt everything she stood for, but I couldn't care less at the moment. She never loved me, so she wouldn't care.

"How long will it last?" I asked her.

"Well, if you use just a little bit, it'll last for an hour at the tops. If you use the whole bag, it'll probably last you a little more than the school day." She said. "It's okay if you don't want to use it. I just thought-"

"You thought right." I said, looking at the bag. "I do need a pick-me-up right now, and what's better than this?" Imogen smiled slightly at me before she slid off the hood of the car. I followed her until we were at the very edge of the parking lot.

"Okay, now just dump some on the top of my hand, and snort, I guess," She said. I rolled my eyes at her.

"I _know _how to snort drugs," I said right before I followed her directions.

"Feeling better?" She asked me when I was done.

"Let's go do our interview!" I said, feeling my thoughts cloud over. Imogen laughed.

"Don't you want to wipe your hand off?" She asked me, lifting my arm up and putting my hand in front of my face so I could see it. It had residue of the white powder smeared on my hand.

"Nah, it's fine!" I said, wiping my nose with my other hand. "Woah, will this happen a lot?"

"Yes, you'll wipe your nose a lot." She said with a laugh. She grabbed my arm and started to pull me to the picnic tables. "Let's go do your interview."

"Are you going to be with me?" I asked her, stopping in my path. She laughed again.

"No, I'm more of a sidelines girl. But you'll kill it for sure." She said as she started to drag me again.

* * *

><p>Clare POV<p>

I was sitting at the picnic tables when I saw Eli walk up. I almost smiled at the sight of him, but then i saw Imogen. My eyes narrowed slightly at her, but she was just all smiles.

I looked down and noted that I was still wearing Eli's jacket, and I had no idea why. Me and Jake haven't talked much, considering we have no classes together, but I think Eli was part of the reason. Jake didn't like it that I had to interact with Eli in order to get this article, but I told him I would do what I want, and I went on merry way. If he's okay with that, then I'm okay with him.

"Hi Clare! Clare, you remember Imogen," Eli said as he sat down next to me at the picnic table. Imogen waved at me, still all smiles. She walked over to the front of the school and sat on the steps, staring at Eli and I.

"Are you okay?" I asked him once I noticed he couldn't sit still. His eyes were darting and he didn't seem to be himself. Eli looked up at me and smiled hugely, laughing before answering.

"Yeah, I'm fine! So, let's get on with it!" He said, clapping his hands twice. I refrained myself from rolling my eyes at him as I picked up my pen and pressed the record button on the tape recorder Katie lent me so I could record the interview, also.

"So, what's the plot?" I asked him. He laughed for a second, and then began speaking.

"The play's called 'Love Roulette'. A tale of a high school romance gone wrong!" I stopped writing on my notepad and I looked up at him, knowing for sure where this was going. "The hero's portrayed at a school dance by a manipulative lover who's become obsessed with a religious physco." He leaned in, his face almost inches from mine. "Sound familiar?"

"It's a lie, you can't!" I said, trying to change his mind.

"See, I thought I was to blame for our break-up, but all along, it was you! Ha, it was little miss Saint Clare!" He said, getting up and spinning around, his arms spread out wide.

"Eli, are you on... drugs... or something?" I asked him, picking my words carefully. _Hopefully _he wasn't. He's never done them before, so why on Earth would he start doing drugs now?

"Yep!" He said cheerfully with a smile, sitting back down. He put his hand in front of my face, showing me the evidence, like I would be impressed with him doing drugs or something.

"You took coke?" I whisper-yelled at him so no one else would hear me ask him.

"Yeah." He said, his eyes darting.

"I can't believe you. Did she tell you to take it?" I sneered, tilting my head towards Imogen. She was still sitting on the steps. Eli looked at her for a moment, and then turned back to me.

"Yeah, she gave me this," He said, pulling a small bag out of his pocket. He held it out for me to see, and I grabbed the bag from his hands, closing my fist around the little bag.

"Give it back, Clare!" He said, reaching for my fist. I tried putting my arm up to push him off me, but he was a lot stronger than me.

"Eli, no! I'm not giving you drugs!" I quietly yelled at him, trying to keep my hand out of his reach. He continued to lunge for it, and I continued to try and keep him from the bag.

"Clare, I hate you!" He blurted out. I stopped stuggling with him, and so did he.

"What did you say?" I whispered at him. He just stared blankly at me.

"I hate you. You never loved me and think I'm a loser, so I hate you." He said, keeping the blank look on his face.

"You know what, Eli?" I snapped, standing up. "Have fun getting high with your new girlfriend. If you thought I never truly loved you, you're crazy." I finished, throwing the bag of coke at him. He picked it up, and then looked up at me, saying nothing.

"Bye, Eli." I said before walking to the school. I crossed paths with Imogen walking to Eli, and I whirled on her.

"Happy with what you did? You turned my boyfriend into a druggie!" I yelled at her. She laughed, and then walked up to me so we were face-to-face. She was probably an inch or two shorter than me, but she wouldn't back down.

"Last time I checked, _Jake _was your boyfriend," Imogen said with a smirk, and at once I realized what I said, but I brushed it off. "You broke up with Eli. You have no right to call him your boyfriend. He told me he hates you. He said you're a Jesus-loving freak who prances around, being a tease. He said that you just used him to prove you could get away with it. He hates you, Clare. He hates you."

"No he doesn't. You're filling his head with lies!" I cried out, throwing my hands above my head.

"He told me himself. When we were on a date at the Dot? He said all of those things. It might be hard to believe that Eli is finally free of you extra baggage, but it's true. He's on to bigger and better things. Like me." Imogen said, crossing her thin arms over her chest.

"Date?" I asked her softly, feeling my heart break a bit. How could he move on after everything he said two days ago? About still loving me? Was that all a lie, just to make me feel better?

"Yes, a date. He moved on. To me. He likes _me_, not _you. _So deal with it, Clare." She said, putting her face so close to mine, I could see the gold flecks in her light brown eyes.

"If you make him ruin his life, I'll-" I started to say, but Imogen cut me off.

"First of all, I'm not ruining his life. You are because you keep teasing him. Second of all, what are you going to do? Is Saint Clare going to beat me up?" She asked, sarcastic. She smiled with false sweetness before she skipped off towards Eli, leaving me all alone.

* * *

><p><strong>Coming up: Cakeness has a breaking point, Eli coming down from the hype of drugs, and maybe Eli redeeming himself to Clare? <strong>

**ECLARE next chapter! Finally!**


	6. Eight Miles High Part 2

**So, I keep uploading chapters really fast because I just love writing this story :)**

**maybe some Eclare time? :)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, Stephen Stohn does. If I did, Eli wouldn't try and make Clare jealous because they would still be together, Jake would keep his shirt ON, Dave would date Alli already, and Sadie would go date Adam or something. **

**And Clare will be a little OOC, because, well... you'll see.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 6 - Eight Miles High Part 2<p>

Eli POV

"Do you always feel this shitty when the coke wears off?" I asked Imogen in theater as I picked my head up from my desk. I felt horrible. I was tired, nauseous, I had a migrane, and my eyes were bloodshot.

"Usually," She said with a laugh.

"Why are you so damn perky?" I asked her coldly, laying my head back on my desk.

"Because _I _don't take coke before school," She said, turning in her dest just enough so she would be facing me, but not enough for Ms. Dawes to notice she wasn't facing the front of the class.

"But you make _me _take it before school?" I hissed at her as I sat back up.

"I didn't make you do _anything_. You were the one to take it!" She whispered back, turning to face the front again with her arms crossed.

"But now Clare probably thinks I'm a druggie, thanks to you!" I said, sitting low in my seat so I could rest my head on the back of my chair. She turned in her seat so she could look at me dead on.

"I did nothing. _You're _the one who took the drugs before you had to talk to her, so it's _you're _fault." She said with narrowed eyes, and I just looked away. "And you said you hated her. Why do you care so much of what she thinks of you?"

"Just because I hate her doesn't mean I don't love her anymore!" I yelled, and the whole class turned around to look at me. Imogen adverted her gaze away from me, and Ms. Dawes looked at me with concern.

"Do you need a moment outside?" She asked, a knowing glint in her eyes. Ever since I told her about Clare and I breaking up, she's been a lot nicer and a lot more helpful. I know it sounds lame to take comfort in a teacher, but she really knew what me and Clare went through.

"Yeah," I said, standing up. I looked at Imogen, and she just raised an eyebrow and looked away. I rolled my tired eyes at her and started to walk up the theater stairs so I could get outside.

I started to just aimlessly walk the halls. I walked to my locker and found my jacket I lent Clare the other day hanging from my lock. I ripped it off and threw it to the floor, anger ripping through my chest. I opened my locker, picked the jacket back up and threw it in. I kicked my locker closed and put the lock back on.

I started to walk away, but my anger got the best of me. I was angry at a lot of things. I was angry that Clare moved on to Jake. I was angry I did drugs, especially around Clare. I was angry at Imogen for giving them to me. I was angry at myself for not winning back Clare when I had the chance. And most of all, I was angry at the world for making life so hard for me.

I turned around and punched my locker as hard as I could while letting out a scream, trying to get all my angry out of me as best I could. I heard a gasp from the other side of the hallway, and I turned towards the sound.

Clare and a girl in my grade named Katie Matlin were standing about twenty feet away from me. Clare looked concerned and shocked, while Katie just raised a perfect eyebrow at me.

"Why are you punching a locker?" She asked me, and Clare looked away.

"No reason, _Katie_," I said, letting out a sigh. I looked at my hand, and my knuckles were bright red and bloody. Pain radiated through my whole arm. I tried shaking it to make the pain go away, but I had no such luck.

"And you look horrible. Do any drugs lately?" She asked jokingly, but my eyes instantly flew to Clare. She looked at me for a moment with an ice cold glare before turning her head so she wouldn't have to look at me anymore, and my heart sunk to my feet.

"Why are you out in the hallway, anyways?" I asked her, avoiding the question.

"Me and Clare are doing a joint article about how emotionally unstable people learn to cope with their surroundings. It's for our help colum on page six and seven for the May week one issue, " She explained.

"So you're going to interview me?" I asked. Clare scoffed, while Katie looked confused.

"No?" She said it more like a question. "We were actually going to ask the freshman Brandon Johnson. He's been in therapy for a while for being emotionally unstable, actually, and he agreed to help us with our article."

I didn't know what to do except shift my weight from one foot to the other.

"Well, me and Clare need to go. Bye, loser," Katie said, already walking away.

"Bye, bitch," I called back over my shoulder, and she shot me the death glare. I never did like Katie. She was too much of a tyrant, and she gave off the vibe as if she thought she was better than everyone else.

"Clare, you coming?" Katie asked. I turned my gaze to Clare and she was still standing in front of me, studying me.

"No, I need to talk with Eli right now. I'll catch up with you later, though." She said, looking at me the whole time. I looked over my shoulder to see Katie roll her eyes before she walked off.

"What do you need to talk about?" I asked her with a smile. She just sighed.

"Do you know how _stupid _you are?" She asked me, crossing her arms. "I mean, doing drugs? How could you?"

"I know, Clare." I said, sitting down on a bench nearby, and she sat down next to me.

"Then why? Why did you do it?" She asked me. I saw the hurt in her eyes, and it was then when I realized that not only doing drugs effected me, it also broke Clare's heart in half.

"I don't know," I whispered, closing my eyes. My head still felt like it was about to explode, and my eyes stung every time I kept them open too long.

"Then you did drugs for no reason? Even better!" She said sarcastically, and my eyes slowly opened.

"I did them because I thought I couldn't handle being around you for the play interview. Imogen said they would make me feel better," I said quietly, looking down. I heard her let out a deep breath.

"Well, how do you feel now?" She asked me warily.

"Like shit," I said, turning my gaze to her. She let out a tiny laugh, and I smirked. "I'm glad you find something enjoyable in my discomfort."

"I do," She said, smirking back at me. My gaze on her turned serious, and her smile fell from her face.

"Clare, I'm really sorry." I started, turning so I could face her.

"It's okay," She said lightly, shrugging her shoulders.

"No, it's not okay," I said, shaking my head. "It's not okay because right before I did it, I thought of you and how you wouldn't like me doing this. And then I pushed you out of my mind. I wasn't thinking clearly, and I'm sorry for that."

"So what, I'm your concience now?" She asked me, crossing her arms in front of her chest, raising an eyebrow.

"No, it's just..." I said, trailing off. I knew she knew why. I knew it.

"Just..." She tried continuing, but I saw the corners of her mouth twitch. The girl was actually teasing _me._

"Clare... I still... I still love you," I said slowly. Clare smiled as she cast her gaze to the floor, and I saw the color on her cheeks turn from pale white to a very bright crimson. "And I don't hate you. I was caught up in the moment, and Imogen was saying stuff about us in my ear, and the thing with Jake, and-"

"Eli," She laughed, looking back up at me. "Stop talking."

Clare suddenly grabbed both sides of my head and planted her soft lips on mine. My arms instantly found them around Clare's waist, even though my arm was still screaming out in pain.

After a couple of minutes, she pulled away, giggling. I put my arm around her, and she grabbed my other hand, the hurt one, and held it.

"Don't you want to get that checked out by the nurse?" She said, playing with my fingers lightly. It still hurt, but for Clare, the pain was worth it.

"And miss this? No way," I said, smirking at her.

"Good." She said before pulling me in for another kiss.

**ONE HOUR LATER**

Clare POV

I felt horrible. I felt dirty. I felt like a slut.

I have a boyfriend. Jake. And I kissed my ex-boyfriend. Eli. And I kissed him a lot.

I was a horrible, horrible girlfriend.

Me and Adam were sitting in civics class when I told him everything that happened in the past hour.

"You two **_WHAT?_**" He whisper-yelled at me, and I looked down at my hands, ashamed to look at anyone. I went against everything I believed in, and I had to tell Jake. I didn't want him hearing from anyone else except me.

"I tried not to. I just let my emotions get the best of me," I said with a slight smile. If I remembered correctly, Eli's kissing has gotten a lot better ever since we broke up three weeks ago.

"Surrre," Adam said with a smirk, and I smiled. "So, how did Jake take the break up?" I looked down at my hands again, and he caught on. "Wait... you never broke up with him?" He asked, his eyes growing wide.

"No... I haven't even talked to him today." I said, looking out the doorway. Sure enough, Eli and Imogen were at their lockers. I was about to be overcome with jealously, but then I watched their body movements. They both looked mad, and their mouths were moving at hyperspeed, their lips set in frowns. Eli was throwing his arms around to prove some point, and Imogen pointed at me, her face twisted with rage. They both looked at me, and I felt the blush rise to my cheeks. Eli held my gaze a bit longer than Imogen did, and they went back to arguing. Eventually Imogen slammed her locker shut and walked off. Eli hit the lockers with both of his fists and hung his head, resting his body weight on the lockers.

"I wonder what that was about," Adam said, talking about the Eli and Imogen fued we just saw.

"Me too." I said. Was Eli still dating Imogen when we kissed? Did they even go out? I had no idea.

The bell rang, and me and Adam went our separate ways. I walked to my locker, and Jake was wating there for me. Just one look at him made my heart swell and sink, all at the same time.

"So I was thinking. We could go to the dot for coffee? Get your mind off Eli?" He asked me with a lopsided smile, and I instantly thought of Eli's smile. I was overcome with guilt, and I knew I had to tell him. I looked back at him, and something told me he wasn't just being his normal Jake self. It was like he knew something.

"Jake, we need to talk," I said, grabbing his hand and pulling him to a nearby bench. He tried to hold my hand, but I pulled mine out of his, and he shot me a confused look.

"Me and you aren't exactly meshing lately," I started, clasping my hands in front of me. I looked at him, and his face looked as if it was carved out of stone. He looked like he had no emotions.

"Did your make out buddy tell you to say that?" He asked me, but he didn't look at me. I was frozen in shock. How did he already know?

"How do you know that?" I asked him.

"Imogen Moreno told me. Obviously your emo boy toy doesn't know how to keep a secret," He said, looking at me finally. "So it's true? You_ did _kiss him?" I just nodded. "You're sick, Clare. You know that?" I nodded again. "Everyone was right. You're nothing but a tease."

"I'm a tease?" I asked him, taken aback. I knew he was going to give me crap for kissing Eli while we were dating, but I didn't know he would call me a tease.

"Yeah. You're also a bitch," He said, getting up from the bench and walking away.

"Jake!" I called after him, but he didn't turn around. I sighed and walked to my locker. I got my bag out of it and piled all my books into it. I slammed my locker closed a little bit harder than I needed to, and put the lock back on. When I turned back around, I saw Imogen standing with Eli. They looked like they were arguing again, so I decided to get a bit closer so I could hear them, but not close enough to get caught.

"You said you _hated _her. And then you go and kiss her?" Imogen asked him, throwing her arms around wildly to show how angry she was.

"_You _said she never loved me. _You _said she teased me. _You _said she thought I was a loser. So I'm not the only one who lied." He said, crossing his arms over his chest. He had band aids from where his knuckles started bleeding from punching his locker, and his hand was still very red.

"I was trying to _protect _you!" She hissed at him, and he let out a crazy laugh.

"_Protecting me? _I'm not five, Imogen! And you filled my head with lies!" He yelled at her, and people around them turned to stare. Imogen scanned the crowd, and she looked like she was looking for someone. Her eyes landed on me, and she just laughed as if she's gone mad. I decided to walk towards them so I wouldn't look like I was stalking the two of them or anything.

"Hey, guys," I said, trying to sound nice and cheerful, but it just made the situation even more awkward. Eli scrached the back of his neck, and Imogen rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest.

"What do you want?" Imogen snapped.

"Imogen, come on," Eli said, trying to put his hand on her shoulder to calm her down, but she moved away from him before he could as much lay a finger on her. He rolled his eyes when he dropped his arm, and she moved back to where she was previously.

"I'm not talking this fucking shit from anyone. See you tomorrow, Eli," She said bitterly to both of us before she fixed the strap on her bag. She skipped off, and Eli and I were silent until we couldn't see her anymore.

"What was that about?" I pressed. Hey, I really wanted to know.

"She's mad at something. But don't worry about it, I have it all under control." He said with a smirk. I couldn't help but smile back.

"Since me and Jake aren't exactly a thing anymore and I'm free, want to go on our first official date as a couple again to the Dot?" I asked him with a slight smile. He looked at me with a big, toothy grin.

"I would love to."


	7. Hoarding It For Home

**Disclaimer: I don't own Degrassi, Stephen Stohn does. If I did, Jake would be with Katie, Glen and Helen would get married to prevent Clare and Jake dating, Adam would get an awesome girlfriend already, and Chantay would finally graduate.**

**This chapter is going to kinda be a blast from the past for Eclare. Eli's old problems are going to resurface. Just sayin'.**

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><p>Chapter 7 - Hoarding It For Home<p>

Clare POV

"I just need to go to my locker first, she kind of held me up when she was talking to me." He said, grabbing my hand, walking towards his locker with me trailing behind him. I knew who 'she' was. Even though I didn't want to, I knew 'she' was Imogen Moreno.

"Okay, but make it fast." I joked, giggling like a little girl. Eli looked down at me with a smirk as he intertwined our fingers. I wrapped my other arm around his, the one that was holding my other hand, and clung to him, letting him drag me.

"Afraid you're going to blow away, Edwards?" Eli said with a smirk. I rested my head on his shoulder as we walked through the halls, and I felt his shoulders relax under my head.

"I just... I missed this," I said, removing my head from his shoulder to look up at him. He looked around the emptying hallways to make sure there were no teachers around. He smirked as he leaned in, planting his full lips on mine softly and quickly.

"Come on," He said with a smile, pulling me again to his locker. We stopped next to it, and I saw no signs of Imogen, which was a relief. Eli dropped my hand and opened his locker. Papers and just a bunch of junk toppled out of it, and my heart was in my throat. This was the worst I saw Eli's locker, even though I helped him clean it out the first time we dated. Eli just looked at me with a nervous smile, and terror in his eyes.

"Eli... I thought... I thought you didn't hoa-?" I started to say, but he just cut me off.

"Let's just get out of here," He said frantically, intertwining his fingers with mine again, his rings scratching my fingers slightly. We started to walk towards the entrance of the school at a fasted pace, thanks to Eli.

"You're nervous," I accused, pulling his popped collar of his red polo under his black military jacket down, revealing red blotches on his neck, the redness making it's way towards his face. "Eli, are you sure you aren't-?" I tried asking him again, but he popped his collar back up, never letting go of my hand. If anything, he held on to my hand a little bit tighter.

"No, I'm not." He said, and I could tell he was trying to stay a calm as he could. "So where do you want to go on our date? Or do you still want coffee at the dot?" He asked, changing the subject. He help open the passenger door to Morty for me, and I made a disgusted look before I slid in. Eli chuckled at me as he closed my door. I watched him walk in front of Morty, and then sit next to me in the driver's seat.

"I still want coffee. _But _I would like to go home and change," I said, quickly kissing him. He smirked as he started the car and started to pull out of the Degrassi parking lot.

"Can I watch?" He asked with a smirk and a mischievious glint in his eye. I slapped his arm lightly, but he grabbed my hand before I could pull back, intertwining our fingers so one hand was on the steering wheel, while the other was in mine. "No, but I want to change, too. I hate this uniform with a passion."

"Just wait until _next _year. You'll be wearing _blue_." I teased him, squeezing his hand. He groaned.

"I _hate _blue," He mumbled, turning onto my street. I let out a laugh as he shuddered at the thought of him wearing blue.

"Here." He said, letting go of my hand so he could turn off the car and open the door. He walked over to the passenger side of Morty, opening the door for me and holding his hand out. I took it and pulled myself out of the car. He closed the door behind me.

"You know, I've never been in your room," He said, raising his eyebrows suggestively. I rolled my eyes at him as I started to walk towards my house, and I heard him laugh behind me.

"Are your parents home?" Eli asked me as he followed my up the stairs.

"Nope. It's my mom's week here, and she won't get home until nine." I said, opening the door to my bedroom. Eli followed me in and layed down on my back, crossing his legs at the ankles and putting his arms behind his head. I grabbed a purple, grey and white dress from my closet and a white sweater and walked towards the bathroom. It took me a couple minutes, but I came out of the bathroom, and Eli let out a low whistle.

"As always, you look fucking gorgeous," He said, sitting up. I sat next to him and put a finger over his mouth. He raised an eyebrow.

"No cussing under my roof," I said with a smile, removing my finger from his lips.

"Sorry, I meant _absolutley _gorgeous," He said with a genuine smile.

"Better," I said, kissing him quickly on the lips, and then I tried to get up. Eli grabbed my from around the waist and pulled me back towards the bed, sitting me down, and I let out a shocked laugh.

"What are you doing?" I half-whispered as he pulled me closer, and I put my arms around his neck to pull him closer. He leaned in to kiss me, and I pushed him even closer to me, as close as I could get him.

Eli slowly layed me down on my bed with him on top, his hands never leaving my waist. My hands ran up and down his chest in between us, and he let out a soft moan.

"Oh, Clare," He whispered, rolling us over so I was on top, straddling his waist. I started to kiss and suck on his neck, repeating the familiar actions I would use on him many times before. His hands started to creep under my dress, and I froze.

"Sorry," He whispered from under me, sensing my uneasiness.

"We should get going," I said, rolling off him. He let out a groan as he got up from my bed. We walked out of my house and found ourselves in Morty, driving to Eli's house.

"We need to do that more often," He said with a smirk. I couldn't help but smile. We pulled up to his house, and we both got out and walked to the house.

"Hey, baby boy!" I heard Cece say. "Clare, I'm so happy you two are back together." She said with a smile.

"I'm happy you two worked things out _without _shooting anything," Bullfrog said, eyeing Eli warily. Eli just scratched the back of his neck while I tried to supress a laugh.

"Me and Clare are just stopping by so I can change, and then we're going to the Dot," Eli called behind him, already walking towards his room. I just followed. I was curious to see what his room looked like, because of how messy his locker was.

Eli unlocked his door and opened it, allowing me inside first. Suprisingly, it was as clean as I remembered it when we threw out the last bag of junk out of this room. I walked over to sit on his bed while he opened his closet. He pulled out a grey button-down, a black tie, and black jeans. He started to take off his polo, and I looked away. He chuckled and peeled the rest of it off, and then sat down next to me.

"Nervous I'm shirtless?" He teased me, scooting closer. He was actually _teasing _me.

"Not at all," I said keeping my cool.

"Excited?" He pressed.

"Nope," I said, staring at his chest rise and fall with every breath. I finally reached my hand out and started to run it down his chest. Eli's whole body shuddered while a tiny moan escaped his lips, but he grabbed my hand halfway down his chest.

"Thought you weren't excited?" He asked, standing back up and letting go of my hand. I blushed, and he smiled. He picked up his shirt and buttoned it, and then tied the tie around his neck. He started to pull his pants off, and a siren went off in my head.

"Woah!" I said, getting up and grabbing his hands.

"What? They're just boxers," He said, pulling up his shirt to show me the top of black boxers sticking out from the top of his dress code pants. So he's the sagging type.

"Still!" I said, turning around so he could change. He laughed as he finished changing.

"You're fine to turn around," He said, and I turned around and grabbed his hand. Before he could lead me out of his room, I noticed his closet overflowing with piles and piles of junk, and I sighed to myself. So he _was _hoarding again. We walked out of his house and got into the hearse, and Eli started the car.

"Eli, are you hoarding again?" I blurted out. He froze, slowly adverting his eyes to me.

"Why would you think that?" He asked me slowly.

"Well, I saw the stuff in your closet, and your locker, and I'm just worried about-" I started to say, but Eli cut me off.

"Can we talk about it another time? I want to enjoy our date," He mumbled to me. I nodded, but I knew what he was doing. He was trying to put off the subject to see if I would forget about it, but I _will _find out one way or another.

Whatever it takes, right?"

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><p><strong>It was short, I know, but it was just fluff about Eli and Clare's new relationship. <strong>

**Next up: Imogen and WHO on at date the same time Eli and Clare are?**


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